John M. Mercanti (born April 27, 1943) is an American
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and
engraver. He was the twelfth
Chief Engraver of the United States Mint
The Chief Engraver of the United States Mint is the highest staff member at the United States Mint.
The Chief Engraver is the person in charge of coin design and engraving of dies at all four United States Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Franc ...
until his retirement in late 2010.
Biography
Mercanti was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. There, he attended the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appa ...
, the
Philadelphia College of Art
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...
and the
Fleisher Art Memorial School. He also served in the
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylvan ...
for six years.
In 1974, Mercanti joined the
United States Mint
The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...
as a sculptor-engraver after working as an illustrator. On May 19, 2006, he was appointed Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint (also known as Supervisor of Design and Master Tooling Development Specialist).
The position had been officially vacant for 15 years following the retirement of
Elizabeth Jones, the Mint's eleventh Chief Engraver, in 1991.
In June 2011, Mercanti became a paid
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for
Goldline International
Goldline, LLC was a retail seller of gold and silver coins, and other precious metals for investors and collectors. Goldline traced its formation to a Deak & Co. subsidiary created in 1960, a firm that in the late 1970s was the largest storefron ...
and appeared in a
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for the company.
In 2021, Mercanti was named one of
Coin World
''Coin World'' is an American numismatic magazine, with weekly and monthly issues. It is among the world’s most popular non-academic publications for coin collectors and is covering the entire numismatic field, including coins, paper money, me ...
's Most Influential People in Numismatics (1960-2020).
Work
Mercanti has produced more
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
and
medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
designs than any employee in United States Mint history (more than 100 as of 2006).
Among these are the
1984 Olympic gold ten-dollar coin, the
1986 Statue of Liberty dollar coin, the
1989 Congress Bicentennial gold five-dollar coin, the obverse of the
1990 Eisenhower Centennial silver dollar, the obverse of the
1991 Mount Rushmore five-dollar coin, the obverse of the
1991 Korean War Memorial silver dollar, and the obverse of the 2005
John Marshall commemorative dollar.
In addition to designing and sculpting a number of
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
s, Mercanti worked on
quarters for the states of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
for the
50 State Quarters Program.
File:2006 AESilver Proof Rev.png, American Silver Eagle
The American Silver Eagle is the official silver bullion coin of the United States.
It was first released by the United States Mint on November 24, 1986. It is struck only in the one- troy ounce, which has a nominal face value of one dollar ...
reverse
Reverse or reversing may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001
* ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film
* ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film
* ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005
* ''Reverse'' ...
(1986)
File:1999 PA Proof.png, Pennsylvania state quarter reverse (1999)
File:2001 NC Proof.png, North Carolina state quarter reverse (2001)
File:2003 AR Proof.png, Arkansas state quarter reverse (2003)
File:2004 IA Proof.png, Iowa state quarter reverse (2004)
File:2005 WV Proof.png, West Virginia state quarter reverse (2005)
File:2005 John Marshall Silver $1 prf obv.jpg, John Marshall commemorative dollar obverse (2005)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercanti, John M.
United States Mint engravers
University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni
Artists from Philadelphia
Living people
1943 births
South Philadelphia High School alumni
Sculptors from Pennsylvania
American people of Italian descent